HURST Jaws of Life®, an industry leading global manufacturer of rescue tools, has earned The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA®) 1936 2020 compliant status for HURST’s two highest-performing product lines, eDRAULIC® Watertight Extrication Tools (EWXT) and eDRAULIC 2.0 (E2) battery-powered tools. The third-party test results also include HURST earning high ratings in the NFPA’s new F bar testing for cutter performance against the design and metal types of the ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) structures in today’s automobiles.

“Our goal is to help first responders get to the patient faster; earning NFPA 1936 2020 compliant status affirms our rescue tools can achieve that goal – even in the toughest extrications,” said Bruce Johnston, director of marketing and product management for HURST Jaws of Life. “The high-strength metals that keep passengers safe inside their cars make it more difficult for first responders to get inside the vehicle during an extrication. We’re proud to provide first responders with rescue tools that can perform in these challenging environments.”

NFPA standards specify performance requirements for powered rescue tools and components that are used by emergency services personnel to facilitate the extrication of patients from entrapment. This year, NFPA has expanded its series of material category tests from five tests to six for rating cutter and combination tools in their ability to cut high-strength metals, to now include a new “High Strength Materials” test, otherwise known as the F bar cut test. In the F test, cutters face an ultra-high-strength, low-alloy rectangular tube and can earn a performance level between 1 (1” X 2” X 0.065”, outside dimension by wall thickness) and 7 (2” X 4” X 0.250”). The rectangular shape of the metal tested mimics the more common UHSS B-post in modern automobiles. By using a treated 4130 ultra-high-strength steel, the test can better evaluate cutters for today’s extrication challenges.

HURST Jaws of Life earned F5 and F4 ratings for nearly a dozen cutters and combination tools from its eDRAULIC collection, a battery-powered rescue tool line that revolutionized the industry as stronger, smaller, lighter tools that require no hoses and no power units, and its new eDRAULIC Watertight Extrication Tools line, which launched last year to allow first responders to operate submerged in fresh water, unencumbered by hoses or power units.

“As engineering in automotive manufacturing continues to evolve, so, too, should the testing that ensures rescue tools are up to the task of arming first responders,” said Michael Canon, vice president of sales for HURST Jaws of Life. “The new F bar cut is an important addition to NFPA standards, challenging tool manufacturers to put their tools to the test in a common scenario faced by first responders in today’s extrication rescues. First responders can rest assured that when they face that B-Post, HURST Jaws of Life cutters are going to deliver the cut they need to get to the patient.”